Handle with push-push ratchet type spring catch



June 18, 1968 M. SZABO 3,388,416

HANDLE WITH PUSHPUSH RATCHET TYPE SPRING CATCH Filed Sept. 29, 1966 2 Sheets-$heet 1 United States Patent 3,388,416 HANDLE WITH PUSH-PUSH RATCHET TYPE SPRING CATCH Marton Szabo, Broomall, Pa., assignor to Philadelphia Handle Company, Inc., Camden, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Sept. 29, 1966, Ser. No. 582,819 Claims. (Cl. 16--115) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A collapsible handle for use in transporting carrying cases and the like having a member mounted for rotation on the wall of the case including ratchet teeth and spaced keeper lugs, a pawl and a latch bar carried by the handgrip, the mechanism being such that when a push is exerted on the handgrip towards the case, the pawl will engage the ratchet teeth to rotate the member until the lip of the latch bar passes between adjacent keeper lugs and rotation continues until a slight release of the pressure will cause the lip to engage beneath a keeper lug and releasably hold the handle in its collapsed position, and a reapplication of a push on the handgrip in the same direction towards the case will cause the pawl to again rotate the member until the latch bar lip clears the space between adjacent keeper lugs to allow the handgrip to assume a raised carrying position.

This invention relates to a collapsible handle for use in transporting various carrying cases and particularly portable radios, television .sets, electronic test equipment and the like, the primary object of which is to incorporate in the construction a releasable catch means which will permit one to collapse the handle by exerting finger pressure thereon in the direction of the carrying case and to automatically raise the handle away from the carrying case and into the carrying position by the exertion of finger pressure on the handle in the same direction thereby affecting a push-push type of operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a handle of the character described in which the push-push type catch means includes an indexing mechanism which assures the alternate retention and release of the handle selectively in the collapsed and in the raised position by the exertion of finger pressure on the handle in the direction of the carrying case.

Another object of the invention is to provide a handle of the character described which combines the push-push type catch means with a means to conceal the linkage which attaches the handle to the carrying case as well as the catch means.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent as the following description proceeds in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the handle as attached to a carrying case and shown in the raised position;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the collapsed position of the handle;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a detail with respect to the catch means and indexing mechanism;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 88 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 9--9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 8 of a modified form of the invention;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken on the line 11-11 of FIG. 10.

Specific reference is now being made to the drawings wherein similar reference characters are used for corresponding elements throughout.

The instant handle is generally indicated at 10 and is shown attached to the upper wall 12 of a carrying case 14, the handle including an elongated rigid handgrip portion 16 which may be of any desired contour and may be made of plastic, wood, leather or the like material, but is preferably molded of plastic. The thickness of the handgrip is such that it is comfortable to grasp and includes an undersurface 18 which is adapted, in the collapsed position, shown in FIG. 2, to lie closely adjacent the upper surface of the attaching wall 12.

Towards each end, the handgrip 16 is provided with an elongated recess 20 which opens through the undersurface 18 and which is of a predetermined length and width for a purpose later to appear. Elongated slots 22 are provided in the handgrip which opens into the recess 20 and are located toward the center of the handgrip. The handgrip is pivotally secured to the carrying case by means of links or arms 24, each of Whose inner ends carries a cross pin 26 which extends slidably into the slots 22. Secured by any suitable means such as a rivet or screw and nut 28 is a channel-shaped bracket 30 between whose arms extends a horizontal pivot pin 32 that is pivotally engaged in the outer end of the link or arm 24.

Thus when the handgrip is pressed by the fingers towards the wall 12 of the carrying case, the pin 26 will ride in the slots 22 towards their inner ends and when the handgrip is in its raised position as shown in FIG. 3, the pins 26 carried by the links 24 will ride towards the outer ends of the slots 22. The handgrip is urged to its raised position by means of a torsion spring 34 which is wound about the pivot pin 32 that is carried by the attaching bracket 30, one end 36 of which bears against the bracket and the other end 38 of which bears against the underside of the link as shown clearly in FIGS. 3 and 4.

In the modification shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, a dilterent spring means is used to urge the handle to the raised position. Towards the outer end 40 of each recess 20 the handgrip 16 carries a screw or cross pin 42 and a tension spring 44 is terminally attached to the pin 42 and the pin 26 carried by the link or arm 24. The spring 44 normally acts to pull the pin 26 towards the outer end 46 of each slot 22 which constitutes the raised position of the handle.

In the collapsed position of the handle, as indicated earlier, the cross pins 26 carried by the links or arms 24 approach the inner ends 48 of the slots 22 and in so doing the links 24 and the attaching brackets 30 fit into the recesses 20. In this collapsed position the upper edge of the link or arm 24 is adjacent the inner surface of the recess 20 and to allow clearance for the tension spring 44 and anchoring pin 42 of the modifications shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the link 24 in that modification is channelshaped in cross section to thereby receive the tension spring 44, and at a predetermined location is provided with a notch 50 through its upper edge to receive the pin 42.

Secured as at 52 to the wall of the carrying case at a predetermined location beneath each link or arm 24 is a bracket having an upstanding lug 54 which carries a horizontally extending pin 56. Rotatably mounted on the pin is a combined ratchet and keeper member 58. One face of the member 58 consists of circumfcrentially Patented June 18, 1968' spaced, preferably inclined, ratchet teeth 60, there being a leaf spring 62 associated with the bracket which is adapted to engage a ratchet tooth and prevent rotation in the direction opposite to that desired. The other or opposite face of the member 58 contains axially extending keeper lugs 64 which are spaced apart to provide openings 66. There are twice as many ratchet teeth 60 as there are keeper lugs 64 for a purpose soon to appear.

Secured as at 68 to end face of each link or arm 24 is latch member 70, preferably a resilient member, whose lower end is bent to form an inwardly extending lip 72 which is adapted to extend beneath and engage the keeper lug 64.

Secured as at 74 to the other side of each link or arm 24 and out of registry with the latch 70 is a spring pawl 76 which is twisted medially to provide a lower edge 78 that can engage the ratchet teeth 60 and thereby rotate the member 58 in a particular direction as shown in FIG. 6.

In operation, to collapse the handle finger pressure is applied to the handgrip in the direction of the wall 12 of the carrying case. This causes the pins 26 carried by the inner ends of the links 24 to move towards the inner ends 48 of the handgrip slots 22 during which motion the edges 78 of the pawls 76 engage the ratchet teeth 60 to rotate the members 58 one ratchet tooth distance. As this is occurring, the latch 70 has entered the opening 66 behind the engaged ratchet tooth 60. When the finger pressure is released, the spring 34- or 44 urges the handgrip upwardly, but the member 58 has rotated to the position where one of its lugs 64 is engaged by the lip 72 of the latch 70 and consequently, the handle remains in the collapsed position with the lower edge 18 of the handgrip slightly raised above the wall 12 of the carrying case. To raise the handle, finger pressure is applied on the handgrip again in the direction of the wall 12 of the carrying case at which time the pawl 76 engages the next ratchet tooth 60 to cause the member 58 to rotate one ratchet position, and when the finger pressure is released, the spring 34 or 44 urges the handgrip upwardly. This time, however, the latch 70 finds itself in the space 66 adjacent the previously engaged keeper lug 64 so that the handgrip can be urged to its fully raised position as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7. Thus, the handle, in effect, is provided with an indexed catch means which is rendered operative and inoperative, selectively, by a push-push type of action exerted upon the handgrip in the direction of the carrying case.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been here shown and described, it will be understood that skilled artisans may make minor variations without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a carrying case having a wall, a collapsible handle having a handgrip, means hingedly securing said handgrip to said wall, spring means urging said handgrip away from said wall towards the raised position, and releasable catch means operative between said wall and said handgrip to hold said handgrip adjacent said wall in the collapsed position of the handle when pressure is applied to said handgrip in a direction towards said wall, said catch means being releasable when pressure is applied to said handgrip in the same direction, said means hingedly securing said handgrip to said wall including links each having one end hinged to said wall and the other end mounted for longitudinal sliding movement on said handgrip, said releasable catch means including a member mounted for rotation on said wall beneath each link and having circumferentially spaced keeper lugs on one side and spaced ratchet teeth on the other, a latch bar carried by each link and having a lip adapted to engage beneath a keeper lug and a pawl carried by each link and adapted to engage said ratchet teeth to selectively rotate said member into alternate positions in which said latch bar lip engages a keeper lug in the collapsed position of the handle and said latch bar lip is free of a keeper lug when the handle is moved to the raised position.

2. In combination with a carrying case having a wall, a collapsible handle having a handgrip, means hingedly securing said handgrip to said wall, spring means urging said handgrip away from said wall towards the raised position, and catch means operative between said wall and said handgrip to releasably hold said handgrip adjacent said wall in the collapsed position of the handle, said catch means including a member mounted for rotation on said wall having circumferentially spaced keeper lugs on one side and spaced ratchet teeth on the other, a latch bar carried by said handgrip and having a lip, and a pawl carried by said handgrip so that when pressure is applied to said handgrip towards said wall said pawl will engage said ratchet teeth to rotate said member into a position in which said latch bar lip first passes between adjacent keeper lugs and then engages a keeper lug as the pressure on the handgrip is released to hold the handle in its collapsed position, and then when pressure is reapplied to said handgrip in the same direction towards said wall, said pawl will again engage said ratchet teeth and rotate said member until said latch bar lip is free of engagement with said keeper lug whereby said spring will urge said handle upwardly into its raised position.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said member has twice as many ratchet teeth as keeper lugs.

4. The combination of claim 2 and means to prevent reverse rotation of said member.

5. The combination of claim 1 and recesses in said handgrip adapted to receive and substantially conceal said links and catch means when the handle is releasably held in its collapsed position closely adjacent said Wall.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 337,412 3/1886 Long 16-115 1,495,752 5/1924 La Rue 16-115 2,019,426 10/1935 Mabry 16-115 2,277,739 3/1942 Worthington 16-115 2,723,417 11/1955 Furholmen 16-115 FOREIGN PATENTS 811,826 4/1959 Great Britain.

BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner. 

